Ogden City weighs faster replacement of aging Pine View reservoir water crossing amid low reservoir levels

Justin Anderson opened a June 9 work session briefing by urging the City Council to accelerate replacement of a 36-inch water line that crosses Pine View Reservoir, saying the pipe dates to mid-20th-century projects and its condition is largely unknown.

Anderson told council members the line "carries probably 50% of our water supply," tracing its installation history to work in the 1930s and a larger 1970s alignment that placed the line across the reservoir's bottom. He said the city has not inspected that reservoir crossing since it was installed more than five decades ago and that the lines failure would pose a major risk to Ogdens culinary supply.

Why now: Anderson said unusually low snowpack and naturally reduced reservoir levels this year create a narrow window to perform an open-cut replacement without the greater complexity and cost of alternative approaches. He outlined options: build a long bypass alignment around the reservoir (financially infeasible), bore beneath the reservoir (technically risky and likely to affect the wellfield), operate from a barge (schedule- and weather-sensitive), or drain and perform an open-cut trenching across the exposed reservoir bed. He said the open-cut method is the most schedule-reliable and that a berm-and-pump approach (constructing a dyke, pumping out the north arm, doing work, then removing material) would substantially raise project costs.

Costs and partners: Anderson said the berm/dyke option could add roughly $5.5 million to $6 million to the job on top of the base project cost, which staff considers a challenging funding request for the city. He emphasized that the city is working with the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service, the Ogden River Water Users Association and Weaver Basin to coordinate a plan that protects other water users and fish and wildlife considerations. On storage trade-offs, he noted some water could be moved to Willard Bay to preserve supply for downstream users while work occurs.

Next steps: Anderson said the administration is pursuing a dual-track design for options but is prepared to move forward this fall if partners sign agreements and the council supports the approach. He framed the choice as one of balancing schedule certainty and cost against ecological and regional water-storage trade-offs. The council asked technical questions about diversion mechanisms, impacts to fish and wildlife, and whether stored reservoir water could be preserved in Willard Bay; Anderson said those issues require partner agreements and additional study.

The administration will return with final cost estimates and interagency agreements before committing to a construction path.